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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I am so happy to offer my readers to win a sweet little book just in time for Christmas!

Baker Publishing Group is offering to send one of my readers a copy of My Favorite Bible Children's Bible Story Book.

All you have to do is leave me a note in the comments below and you will be entered in to the drawing! The giveaway is open to international readers as well!

Also, if you are reading this via my Facebook page, a comment within that feed will earn you an entry.

Here's what the publisher has to say about My Favorite Bible:

"With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

Each story is fully illustrated and includes a simple narrative full of things kids love: repetition, rhythm, and energy, along with a key biblical theme, a key Bible verse, and discussion questions to help adults introduce children to the Bible.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God."

Giveaway ends December 12th.

Disclosure: (because the law will come after me if I don't disclose...) I didn't receive anything from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for posting this giveaway notice---well, nothing except a bunch of happy readers!

Monday, November 28, 2011

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

I just love this sweet little picture book. The story makes me want another little baby boy!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenny Lee Sulpizio, M.S. is a wife, business owner, and mother of three residing in Boise, Idaho. She is an active member within her church and community, and enjoys tapping into her creative side whenever she gets the chance. There’s Just Something About a Boy is the second picture book released in a series that also includes Mommy Whispers, an ode to mothers and daughters everywhere.

Peg Lozier is an award winning portrait painter and illustrator whose work is known for color, whimsy, and a sense of fun. Raised in Boulder, Colorado, she now lives with a plethora of pets in Las Vegas, Nevada.

There’s Just Something about a Boy is a children’s keepsake picture book celebrating the special bond between a mother and her newborn son as she anticipates the love, laughter, and unparalleled adventure that will surely come from raising a little boy.

Recalling the moment, that special day
Your tiny image took my breath away.
A precious baby with nothing to hide,
My sweet, little son nestled inside.
There’s just something about a boy…

I prepared your nursery
since around month five,
Waiting for the day
you’d finally arrive.
Stuffed animals, blankies,
your daddy’s first glove--
They sat in your room,
awaiting your love.
There’s just something
about a boy…

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

My husband works nights and tonight I was feeling a little lonely. So, I fixed myself up a pretty table setting and enjoyed a big pot of soup, a whole pot of tea, and a plate heaped with rich, creamy fudge !

Ok, true confession: My husband DOES work nights...but I fixed the setting so I could show off my new soup tureen! (Everything's actually empty and the fudge is wrapped up to send with my mom to work tomorrow!) I found this neat Lefton soup tureen at Salvation Army recently for $2.00!!! Our local store has a little room with extremely overpriced "antiques" (some of which are actually Dollar Store items that were made to look antique...but whatever...) I saw this tureen in the window and knew it would be priced pretty high. When I got in there, I saw that there was no price on it! I asked the girl and she said $2.00!! OKAY!!! Oh, I should add that our family will not actually use this for soup---it's waaay too small for the 10 of us! Instead, it will be our gravy "boat" this Thanksgiving...just the right size for that!

This pretty china set and (some of the) tea service was in a shop that my mom bought a few years ago. She gave it to me and I love using it! I bought the pot and a few extra items on eBay.

Since I don't take milk with my tea, I thought Sam the Lamb would be a cute addition to the table! I should also add that this "table cloth" is actually a flannel nightgown I made myself a couple years ago! Ha!! That cracks me up!

Here's a pretty sampler my oldest daughter made me last year for Mother's Day. She's got such talent---especially for an 11-year-old girl!

It's time for another Homemaking Weekend Link-Up! I'd love for anyone interested to link-up her homemaking posts today! You can do more than one a week, if you'd like, and please make sure to take a button and link back to this page so others can visit as well! The button is at the top of my sidebar!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The other day, I let our almost 10-year-old son, Michael, take some photos around the house. As I was going through my pictures from the week, I found all the ones he'd taken. There's shots of all the family, a few random things, and then a picture of each of our fall decorations! I thought that was pretty sweet! Here is a picture he took of all the kids' pictures. Michael is the second from the left on the top.

So, since he took the time to take them, I'll feature them today for my Holiday Weekend Link-Up! Here is an adorable Thanksgiving feast set that I bought for a really good price from a local artisan at our city's annual holiday bazaar. Mom and I are getting excited about going to it this Saturday---I wonder what treasures we'll find this year?

These scarecrow and fall picks replace the pink cherry blossoms I did have filling this pretty blue jar.

I bought this cute turkey the first year that Jamie and I were married. His plea of desperation, "Send Out for Pizza" has always cracked me up!

After looking through the pictures, I thought it would be fun to sit and go through some of Grammy's recipes. Here are a few that I thought were neat:

The one at the top left is a letter from her friend, "Your Loving Friend until the end, Doris" It's a recipe for Mrs. Peabody's Prize Sponge Cake. Doris asks Grammy, "So Dearest, who are you going to cook it for, the future?" Ha!! The second on the left is a recipe for Hood River Unbaked Cookies. I'm sure my mom can tell me more about this one so I'll update if she's got anything to add. The newspaper clipping is from November 10, 1982 and gives instructions and tips on making fruitcakes for the holidays. The small index card on the left is a recipe for Date Marshmallow Log that is pretty much the same thing in a different form as the Top Secret Ancient Family Thanksgiving Recipe that I posted a couple weeks ago!

Speaking of fruitcakes, here's a recipe for Mrs. Bradley's Dark Fruit Cake. Mrs. Bradley was Grammy's mother-in-law---my great, great grandmother. What a GREAT recipe to have! ;) Is anyone interested in having the recipe? If so, let me know in the comments and maybe I'll post it in a day or two!

Well, it's time for another Homemaking Weekend Link-Up! I'm so excited by all the interest in the link-up and I'd love for anyone interested to link-up her homemaking posts today! You can do more than one a week, if you'd like, and please make sure to take a button and link back to this page so others can visit as well! The button is at the top of my sidebar!

One more thing, have you entered my GIVEAWAY? Please do! Have a great weekend!!

Monday, November 14, 2011

I've got two more of these cute blue Holly Hobbie pumpkins left in my Etsy shop if anyone wants one for the holidays! Do you like giveaways? Well then visit this page to see how you can enter my newest giveaway for a box of fudge or carmels!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

It's that time of year for me---the in-between pregnancies time when I'm so so SO tired of the maternity clothes but the regular clothes aren't quite fitting yet! (Yes, this really is a yearly thing for me!) One of my favorite things to do during this time is to experiment with what I have in my closet and see if I can come up with some new outfits!

Here is an idea that readers of all generations might like to try out:

I often find so many cute dresses that I'd love to wear but they're too short! Here is a gorgeous burgundy, high-waisted dress that I found last year at Motherhood. It hits just above my knees, which is shorter than I'm comfortable wearing.

I found this black, flower-print skirt at a yard sale a few years ago and fell in love with it (even though I don't normally wear a lot of black). The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was semi-sheer and I didn't like how the outline of my legs could be seen when light shined through the fabric. So, I stuck it in my mending pile and planned to *someday* make a lining for it.

I sprayed the two pieces inside and out with Scotch Guard to keep them from forming static and layered the dress over the skirt.

Because the top of this dress is a little big on me, especially post-maternity, I layered a lace-topped camisole from Maurices underneath.

My jewelry included this vintage-style necklace that I found at Maurices last year. I've gotten so many compliments on this necklace---I love it!

I finished the look with a light-weight sweater (also from Maurices).

I like to call this my "Modern Regency Look". Whenever I wear this dress over another skirt, it reminds me of this pattern that Mrs. Jennie Chancey created for Simplicity:

This dress is a popular style today and is reminiscent of the lovely empire-waists and puffed sleeves of Jane Austen's England.

Here's an image from Ackerman's Repository of a Regency lady wearing a Spencer jacket. I suppose my little black sweater could serve as a Spencer jacket for my modern-day walking dress!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

I just received my copy of this a couple days ago so have not had time to finish the book. I'm posting the tour today and will add my personal review to the post within the next week.

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

Award-winning writer Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker and workshop leader with a background in community journalism. Her novels include The Shape of Mercy, named by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of 2008. She is a pastor’s wife and a mother of four. When she's not writing, Susan directs the Small Groups and Connection Ministries program at her San Diego church.

A house shrouded in time. A line of women with a heritage of loss. As a young bride, Susannah Page was rumored to be a Civil War spy for the North, a traitor to her Virginian roots. Her great-granddaughter Adelaide, the current matriarch of Holly Oak, doesn't believe that Susannah's ghost haunts the antebellum mansion looking for a pardon, but rather the house itself bears a grudge toward its tragic past.

When Marielle Bishop marries into the family and is transplanted from the arid west to her husband's home, it isn't long before she is led to believe that the house she just settled into brings misfortune to the women who live there.

With Adelaide's richly peppered superstitions and deep family roots at stake, Marielle must sort out the truth about Susannah Page and Holly Oak— and make peace with the sacrifices she has made for love.

The bride stood in a circle of Virginia sunlight, her narrow heels clicking on Holly Oak’s patio stones as she greeted strangers in the receiving line. Her wedding dress was a simple A-line, strapless, with a gauzy skirt of white that breezed about her knees like lacy curtains at an open window. She had pulled her unveiled brunette curls into a loose arrangement dotted with tiny flowers that she’d kept alive on her flight from Phoenix. Her only jewelry was a white topaz pendant at her throat and the band of platinum on her left ring finger. Tall, slender, and tanned from the famed and relentless Arizona sun, hers was a girl-nextdoor look: pretty but not quite beautiful. Adelaide thought it odd that Marielle held no bouquet.

From the parlor window Adelaide watched as her grandson-in-law, resplendent in a black tuxedo next to his bride, bent toward the guests and greeted them by name, saying, “This is Marielle.” An explanation seemed ready to spring from his lips each time he shook the hand of someone who had known Sara, her deceased granddaughter. His first wife. Carson stood inches from Marielle, touching her elbow every so often, perhaps to assure himself that after four years a widower he had indeed patently and finally moved on from grief.

Smatterings of conversations wafted about on the May breeze and into the parlor as received guests strolled toward trays of sweet tea and champagne. Adelaide heard snippets from her place at the window. Hudson and Brette, her great-grandchildren, had moved away from the snaking line of gray suits and pastel dresses within minutes of the first guests’ arrival and were now studying the flower-festooned gift table under the window ledge, touching the bows, fingering the silvery white wrappings. Above the children, an old oak’s youngest branches shimmied to the tunes a string quartet produced from the gazebo beyond the receiving line.

Adelaide raised a teacup to her lips and sipped the last of its contents, allowing the lemony warmth to linger at the back of her throat. She had spent the better part of the morning readying the garden for Carson and Marielle’s wedding reception, plucking spent geranium blossoms, ordering the catering staff about, and straightening the rented linen tablecloths. She needed to join the party now that it had begun. The Blue-Haired Old Ladies would be wondering where she was.

Her friends had been the first to arrive, coming through the garden gate on the south side of the house at five minutes before the hour. She’d watched as Carson introduced them to Marielle, witnessed how they cocked their necks in blue-headed unison to sweetly scrutinize her grandson-in-law’s new wife, and heard their welcoming remarks through the open window.

Deloris gushed about how lovely Marielle’s wedding dress was and what, pray tell, was the name of that divine purple flower she had in her hair?

Pearl invited Marielle to her bridge club next Tuesday afternoon and asked her if she believed in ghosts.

Maxine asked her how Carson and she had met—though Adelaide had told her weeks ago that Carson met Marielle on the Internet—and why on earth Arizona didn’t like daylight-saving time.

Marielle had smiled, sweet and knowing—like the kindergarten teacher who finds the bluntness of five-year-olds endearing—and answered the many questions.

Mojave asters. She didn’t know how to play bridge. She’d never encountered a ghost so she couldn’t really say but most likely not. She and Carson met online. There’s no need to save what one has an abundance of. Carson had cupped her elbow in his hand, and his thumb caressed the inside of her arm while she spoke.

Adelaide swiftly set the cup down on the table by the window, whisking away the remembered tenderness of that same caress on Sara’s arm.

Carson had every right to remarry.

Sara had been dead for four years.

She turned from the bridal tableau outside and inhaled deeply the gardenia-scented air in the parlor. Unbidden thoughts of her granddaughter sitting with her in that very room gently nudged her. Sara at six cutting out paper dolls. Memorizing multiplication tables at age eight. Sewing brass buttons onto gray wool coats at eleven. Sara reciting a poem for English Lit at sixteen, comparing college acceptance letters at eighteen, sharing a chance letter from her estranged mother at nineteen, showing Adelaide her engagement ring at twenty-four. Coming back home to Holly Oak with Carson when Hudson was born. Nursing Brette in that armchair by the fireplace. Leaning against the door frame and telling Adelaide that she was expecting her third child.

Right there Sara had done those things while Adelaide sat at the long table in the center of the room, empty now but usually awash in yards of stiff Confederate gray, glistening gold braid, and tiny piles of brass buttons—the shining elements of officer reenactment uniforms before they see war.

Adelaide ran her fingers along the table’s polished surface, the warm wood as old as the house itself. Carson had come to her just a few months ago while she sat at that table piecing together a sharpshooter’s forest green jacket. He had taken a chair across from her as Adelaide pinned a collar, and he’d said he needed to tell her something.

He’d met someone.

When she’d said nothing, he added, “It’s been four years, Adelaide.”

“I know how long it’s been.” The pins made a tiny plucking sound as their pointed ends pricked the fabric.

“She lives in Phoenix.”

“You’ve never been to Phoenix.”

“Mimi.” He said the name Sara had given her gently, as a father might. A tender reprimand. He waited until she looked up at him. “I don’t think Sara would want me to live the rest of my life alone. I really don’t. And I don’t think she would want Hudson and Brette not to have a mother.”

“Those children have a mother.”

“You know what I mean. They need to be mothered. I’m gone all day at work. I only have the weekends with them. And you won’t always be here. You’re a wonderful great-grandmother, but they need someone to mother them, Mimi.”

She pulled the pin cushion closer to her and swallowed. “I know they do.”

He leaned forward in his chair. “And I…I miss having someone to share my life with. I miss the companionship. I miss being in love. I miss having someone love me.”

Adelaide smoothed the pieces of the collar. “So. You are in love?”

He had taken a moment to answer. “Yes. I think I am.”

Carson hadn’t brought anyone home to the house, and he hadn’t been on any dates. But he had lately spent many nights after the children were in bed in his study—the old drawing room—with the door closed. When she’d pass by, Adelaide would hear the low bass notes of his voice as he spoke softly into his phone. She knew that gentle sound. She had heard it before, years ago when Sara and Carson would sit in the study and talk about their day. His voice, deep and resonant. Hers, soft and melodic.

“Are you going to marry her?”

Carson had laughed. “Don’t you even want to know her name?”

She had not cared at that moment about a name. The specter of being alone in Holly Oak shoved itself forward in her mind. If he remarried, he’d likely move out and take the children with him. “Are you taking the children? Are you leaving Holly Oak?”

“Adelaide—”

“Will you be leaving?”

Several seconds of silence had hung suspended between them. Carson and Sara had moved into Holly Oak ten years earlier to care for Adelaide after heart surgery and had simply stayed. Ownership of Holly Oak had been Sara’s birthright and was now Hudson and Brette’s future inheritance. Carson stayed on after Sara died because, in her grief, Adelaide asked him to, and in his grief, Carson said yes.

“Will you be leaving?” she asked again.

“Would you want me to leave?” He sounded unsure.

“You would stay?”

Carson had sat back in his chair. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to take Hudson and Brette out of the only home they’ve known. They’ve already had to deal with more than any kid should.”

“So you would marry this woman and bring her here. To this house.”

Carson had hesitated only a moment. “Yes.”

She knew without asking that they were not talking solely about the effects moving would have on a ten-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl. They were talking about the strange biology of their grief. Sara had been taken from them both, and Holly Oak nurtured their common sorrow in the most kind and savage of ways. Happy memories were one way of keeping someone attached to a house and its people. Grief was the other. Surely Carson knew this. An inner nudging prompted her to consider asking him what his new bride would want.

Friday, November 11, 2011

I've been busy busy making candy for my new Etsy shop! I used to make fudge, carmels and other sweets for my mom's local candy store and have decided now to try and sell some online. I've done really well so far with several orders coming in both on the site and from local friends. I've got a couple yummy varieties in there now and plan on adding several more throughout the weekend.

To celebrate my new shop, and the fact that I've won several giveaways myself lately, I want to offer the opportunity for one of my readers to win an order of my fresh, homemade candy! Don't think you can hold out long enough to win a batch? Use this special discount code and place your order at 10% off today! This code will be valid through the end of November: NOV2011

Here's how to win...please leave a separate comment for each step completed. You can do one, some or all of the steps to enter and you don't have to be a follower to win! Winner will be chosen on November 27th---please make sure I have a way to contact you!!

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what flavor of carmels and/or fudge you would like to see in my shop.

2. Become a follower of this blog.

3. Subscribe by email (this one gets you 3 entries!)

4. Put my giveaway button on your blog. (See below)

5. Put either my blog button or my Homemaking Link-Up Weekend button on your blog (up to two entries for this one)

6. Blog about this giveaway with a link back. (this one gets you 3 entries too!)

Today I want to remember a very special veteran: my grandpa Henry Andrew Bourrie. I have such sweet memories of my favorite grandpa and miss him so much! He passed away eight years ago, Thursday---the day before Veterans Day.

My grandpa Henry grew up on the fishing docks of Maine and New Hampshire and always had a story to tell about his days on the docks, in the military, or later, when he worked maintenance at the local hospital here in Pendleton, Oregon.

He always called me Punkin and looked at me as if I were the most special thing in the world to him. Several of my kids have that same mischeivious twinkle in their eye like Grandpa did!

Here he is with a group of guys in Portland, Maine in the late 1940s. They were enlisting in the Navy:

(If you think you might know someone here, let me know and I'll put up a list of the names and hometowns)

This is him, seated in the middle, just as he's signing his enlistment card. How crazy is it that I've got a picture of one of the most proud moments of his life?

Grandpa served as a Fireman in the US Navy in Korea. Here's a little information about the responsibilities of the Fireman:

The training received as a Fireman or in the related engineering
skill specialties is equivalent to that received as an electrician,
electrical or power plant/co-generation plant operator or supervisor,
diesel mechanic, or electronics repair technician. Equipment associated
with Fireman training includes propulsion and electrical generation gas
turbines, and diesel engines; electronic machinery plant control systems
and networks; and intricate electrical wiring and distribution systems.
The name Fireman enjoys a proud and storied history. The name
originated in the days when the Fireman was responsible for keeping the
fires burning in the ship’s boilers which were used to make steam. The
steam powered large turbines then produced the ship’s electricity and
turned the ship’s propellers.
After completion of recruit training, enlistees in the Fireman
Apprenticeship Training program attend a three-week course on naval
engineering fundamental skills in shipboard operations and evolutions.
After successful completion of this training, Firemen are usually
assigned to shipboard duties where the Navy needs them the most.

I found that info here. Thank you, Grandpa, for your service and your love!

Now, for some PINK!

I was the proud winner of Connie's Apron Giveaway a couple weeks ago...isn't it beautiful? Thank you, Connie, for your generosity!

On top of that, I was the winner in a second giveaway too! I just happened to hop to a blog that I'd not seen before and ended up winning this Digital Scrapbooking Software Suite from My Memories! I'm really looking forward to playing with that this weekend after my husband helps me figure it out!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Hello Friends! It's time for my Homemaking Link-Up Weekend again! Last week we had many inspiring posts linked up---I'm excited to see what we'll get this week! I want to introduce you to two fabulous bloggers here in a minute, but first, I'd like to show off this neat print I found at an antique store last year!

This is Christmas Morn at Plymouth, painted by J.L.G. Ferris. Between 1900 and 1930, Ferris painted a series of 78 historical scenes from America's past. He painted everything from Christopher Columbus' discovery to the beginning of WWI. Ferris' series, The Pageant of a Nation, is the largest, intact, series of paintings portraying America's history by one artist! You can read more about him here.

My print was copyrighted in 1905 and was distributed with the "compliments of" Lindeke, Warner & Sons of St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the nation's largest wholesale dry goods and manufacturing companies of the time.

It was framed by Erickson and Holden Paints and Wall Paper in Walla Walla, WA.

While I think it's beautiful on my piano, I need something a little more near the top of that window pane. Maybe I'll make a cute fall banner this weekend to add to it all!

As promised, here are my two top pics from the link up last weekend:

First of all, I was SO impressed by this beautiful and very informative post by Ivy & Elephants called Off the Chain! They offered a lot of great information about the history, function, and beauty of the chatelaine. They introduced us to this bit of history with these words: "Chatelaines are one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry to have evolved out of the Edwardian and Victorian eras."Did I hear "Edwardian"??? "Victorian"??? I'm in!! Please, take some time to visit this gorgeous blog and enjoy this well-researched article. I've read several posts by these girls and it really is quality blogging at it's best!

Look at this gorgeous table she set for her friends for a SLEEPOVER!!! Hello!!! Awesome! I've read Christine's blog for awhile now and am always impressed by her neat adventures, her beautiful home and yard, and her eye for putting together a gorgeous vignette or table setting. Christine, I think we need to be closer friends so I can come to your next sleepover! Ha!

I hope everyone will link up with our Homemaking Weekend Link-Up and take a button to display on your blog to help remind you of the weekly party! Just look at the top of my sidebar for the cute little button with the squirrel! Happy Weekend!